A YOUNG man’s outburst in the back of a North Wales court intimidated magistrates.

Paul John Williams, 25, was said to be angry that a friend had been remanded in custody.

As he left Llandudno magistrates’ court, he turned and pointed at his face, saying menacingly: “Remember my face, matey” as he stared at the bench.

On Wednesday, in a trial switched to Flintshire magistrates’ court at Mold, Williams, of King’s Road in Llandudno, was convicted of a public order offence.

The trial took place in his absence after he failed to turn up, and a warrant was then issued for his immediate arrest so he can be sentenced.

Flintshire magistrates said they found the two magistrates and court clerk from Llandudno to be extremely credible witnesses and said they had been in a vulnerable position. They found that Williams had intended to cause them alarm and distress.

The incident happened on November 20 last year when the bench had just remanded a young man in custody. There were about half a dozen supporters in the back of court and when the decision was announced they got up to leave. This is when Williams made the intimidating remark. There were no police officers in the building but he was later arrested and interviewed, and claimed he had said they would never see his face again.

Mr Roberts, who was chair of the bench that day, said the group in the back of the court had been a bit noisy, but not too much, but they were quite intimidating in their appearance.

“They were staring hard at the bench in a threatening manner,” he said, adding that it was chiefly Williams doing it.

“I felt quite threatened,” he said, because of the tone of his voice and the expression on his face.

It was decided to inform the police because he could easily have gone into the car park where there could be a confrontation. Earlier, defending barrister Jane La Grua urged the court to adjourn the trial and said Williams was now homeless and in Llandudno, unable to get to Mold. When magistrates indicated they intended to continue without him, she withdrew from the case.